Florida League of Cities Elects New Officers for 2020-2021

Florida League of Cities Elects New Officers for 2020-2021

Orlando City Commissioner Tony Ortiz elected president

The Florida League of Cities, the united voice for Florida’s municipal governments, today announced the election of its officers for the 2020-2021 term. The officers were elected and installed during the association’s annual business meeting held virtually this afternoon.

City of Orlando Commissioner Antonio “Tony” Ortiz was elected president of the Florida League of Cities, comprised of 411 municipalities in the state. Commissioner Ortiz will serve a one-year term. During his inaugural address, he announced his presidential priority for the coming year, “Building Stronger Cities: Organizing, Empowering & Delivering.”

“Knowledge is not just power. Knowledge changes paths, creates vision and opportunities, transcends limitations, saves lives and promotes integrity. Knowledge is the foundation with which, as the new president of the Florida League of Cities, I intend to pave the way for our state to Build Stronger Cities,” said Ortiz. “This is the year for every resident of the state of Florida to learn the ways of government. It is time to develop a new generation of well-informed Floridians, that will know exactly what to expect from our legislators, that will hold them accountable, and keep them committed to the needs of the community. This is the year to bring the power of government back to the people.”

The “Building Stronger Cities” initiative will include engaging workshops, videos, a dedicated website for residents, printable and digital materials available in multiple languages and more.

Ortiz will join an impressive list of Florida leaders serving as officers with the Florida League of Cities for the 2020-21 term including:

• Florida League of Cities 1^st Vice President: Phillip Walker, commissioner, City of Lakeland
• Florida League of Cities 2^nd Vice President: Jolien Caraballo, councilwoman, City of Port St. Lucie

Ortiz has been a dedicated public servant most of his life, beginning with his enlistment into the United States Marine Corps in 1984. He was first elected to the Orlando City Commission in 2008. Since his election, Ortiz has been involved in various successful projects and programs including, opening the first Seniors vs. Crime Office in Orlando, organizing the community through the creation of neighborhood and business councils, developing the main gate to the city from the Orlando International Airport,  the creation of the Central Florida Public Service Career & College Readiness Program in Orange County, the creation of a government academy, and championing the efforts that led to the implementation of the City of Orlando Trust Act policy, among others. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Florida League of Cities, has been a member of several of the League’s legislative policy committees, is the president of the Tri-County League of Cities, sits on numerous local boards and has been a member of several local organizations. Before his election to the city council, Ortiz was also an officer with the Orlando Police Department for 14 years.